The Key To Disaster
by Orangeblossom Asakura
Summary: It's the middle of the shaman fight and a busy time in the patch village. When Yoh is attacked by cloaked strangers he suspects that something bad is going to happen. What will Yoh find out? What will Hao do when he finds out? Can Yoh prevent the approaching disaster?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

The thunder clapped and rumbled. The ground started to crack and crumble. The trees shook with fear in the stormy wind as slowly a figure, a terrifying figure rose from the ground.

Yoh let out a scream as he woke up. His onyx brown eyes darted around the room, searching for danger. His brown, shoulder length bangs stuck to his worried face. After seeing that there was no danger Yoh gently lay back down into his futon. Slowly he closed his eyes and thought about his strange dream. 'What was that? What is going on? Who was that person?' Yoh yawned and felt himself slowly drifting back to sleep.

A sudden cold blast startled Yoh awake the next morning. "Get up Yoh, you need to train" an annoyed Anna screeched, the bucket which had tipped water over Yoh still in her arms. "Sorry Anna" Yoh quickly replied before running out of the room. Yoh and his friends had arrived at the patch village three weeks ago. Yoh got up to train every day. He would start off with one thousand push ups followed by two hundred star jumps and then fifty laps around the patch village. Yoh sighed. So many things had been happening lately. Hao and his followers were killing every opponent who faced them in the shaman fight and constantly kept bugging him to get stronger so that he could join him. The X Laws were trying to kill him, Hao and his followers and punished anyone else who got in their way. Yoh changed into his white T-shirt, green jeans and sandals since there were no battles scheduled for today. He grabbed his trademark orange headphones and bear claw necklace and made his way out of the house.

It was a pleasant, sunny day in the patch village. His hair flew in the breeze as he ran. He had been training for three hours so decided to get a snack from Silva's shop.

"Is that him? Is that Yoh Asakura" a low, deep voice grumbled. "Yes, our master wants us to bring Yoh to him, he needs him for the plan" replied a hooded female. "Let's get ready to rumble" replied the man, also hooded in a long cloak. They both jumped down from the tree and made their way into the village.

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This is my first fan fiction,

I hope that you all enjoy the story and I shall upload Chapter 2 soon,

Please review and tell me what you think of my story


	2. The enemy make their move

Chapter 2

Yoh walked along the street while singing the song he was listening to with his orange headphones.

'I'm not ready to lay,

I'm not ready to fade,

I'm not ready to die,

I'm not ready to lay,

I'm not ready to fade,

I'm not ready to die,

I'm not ready to die'

"Hello, my little songbird". Yoh whirled around to see himself face to face with two cloaked people. The cloaks were red with black flames at the bottom. On the back of the cloak was a weird symbol which looked like a snake curled around a skull. "Who are you?" Yoh asked nervously. The cloaked man studied Yoh for a second then replied "I can't tell you who I am but you need to come with me". "Ok" Yoh chirped "but I have to be back home in an hour". "That's fine, please follow me". Yoh followed the man into an old shop which looked like it had been closed for months. "So what do you want" Yoh asked. Click. Yoh froze as he heard the door lock. "Our master wants you" the woman replied. "You will come with us now" shouted the man and he lunged at Yoh.

I dived out of the way as the man lunged at me. I rolled over and scrambled over to the stairs. I thundered up the stairs, my heart pounding loudly in my chest. I could hear them clattering up the stairs behind me. I spotted a door and quickly dived through it. I found myself in a stockroom. There was a window that overlooked the busy street. I rushed over to the window and opened it. The only way down was to jump. BANG! The door swung open revealing my pursuers. I gulped, ran forward and jumped.

Hao yawned as he and his followers wandered around the village. Opacho; a small African girl dressed in an orange poncho, walked with Hao. Hao was wearing a white poncho and his favourite red star trousers. His long chestnut hair swayed gently against his back. "Hao sama". Hao looked down at the small girl. "What is it Opacho?" Hao asked in a bored, thoughtful voice. Opacho looked up at Hao then asked "when is the next shaman fight?" Hao smiled at her before saying "tomorrow". A loud scream captured their attention. They looked up to see Yoh Asakura, Hao's 'other half' jump out of a window. He hit the ground with a loud thud and gasped in pain. Quickly he got up and started to run away from the building. The door of the building was ripped open and two hooded figures came running out. They spotted Yoh and sprinted towards him. Hao watched Yoh jump a somersault in the air to avoid being grabbed by one of the people. Hao #!*% his head. He had never seen these people before and didn't think that Yoh had ever met them either. "Yoh" a voice screamed out, startling both Yoh and his attackers. Hao turned his head to see the blue haired Horohoro and the purple haired Ren running to Yoh's aid. As the Snowboarder and the Purple shark arrived the two cloaked figures fled. "Are you ok Yoh?" Horohoro asked with a worried tone in his voice. "I'm fine" Yoh lied before fainting. Ren only just managed to catch him. Hao watched them carry Yoh off to the patch hospital. "What was that all about" Opacho asked nervously. "I don't know" Hao replied "but I will find out.

The rain poured onto my face and I could hear pained screams in every direction. Slowly I turned around. The fire blazed, burning up the forest. Someone stood in front of the fire. I watched him turn around to look at me before extending out his hand. Yoh jolted awake, a scream locked in his throat. "Calm down Yoh" a soothing voice snapped. Yoh lay back down and turned his head to look at the golden eyed Chinese shaman sitting next to him. "Ren?" Yoh asked croakily. Yoh's eyes darted around the room he was in. "You're in the patch hospital. I and Horohoro took you here after you collapsed" Ren huffed. The memory of the morning rushed back into Yoh's head. Yoh yawned before closing his heavy eyes. He heard light footsteps fading away and a click of a closing door. Once again Yoh let his thoughts wander. 'Who were those people? Who is their master? What do they want with me? Slowly Yoh felt himself drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

The next day Yoh was discharged from the hospital. Yoh and his friends made their way to the arena to watch the next battle between team Star and their unfortunate enemies. Yoh watched as Hao summoned the Spirit of Fire and instantly burned the shamans to death. The flames reminded Yoh of the burning forest from his dream. Yoh sighed. He couldn't get the thoughts of those cloaked people out of his head. Quickly Yoh told his friends he was going for a walk and then ran out of the stadium and into the forest. As he ran he could faintly hear loud footsteps following him. Yoh continued running until he reached a waterfall. He sat down on a rock and let the rushing water calm his troubled mind.

The sound of a twig snapping made Yoh look around. Hao stood directly behind Yoh, a smirk plastered on his face. Yoh sighed and turned to look back at the waterfall. After a few moments of silence Hao suddenly asked "So what are you doing out here?" "Thinking" Yoh replied. Hao #!*% his head. "About what" he asked innocently. Yoh slowly got up and turned to face Hao. "What do you want? Why did you follow me?" Hao's smirk got bigger. "I want to know what is going on with my precious other half. I wouldn't want you to get killed before you join me" he sneered. Yoh looked him in the eye then snapped "I will never join you" then stomped off.

Hao grumbled to himself. Yoh had never snapped at him before. As he remembered what happened he growled, annoyed at Yoh. 'He wouldn't tell me what is going on but I will find out soon enough' Hao thought to himself. "I wonder if those cloaked people had anything to do with it" Hao asked aloud. Suddenly he heard loud laughter behind him. Hao whirled around but there was no one there. "What is going on?" Hao snarled at the forest before turning and slowly walking away.


	3. Strange dreams and a battle

**Chapter 3**

The deathly silence surrounded the man like a mist. He sat on a throne of skeletons, each bone rotting away into the night. The man also wore a cloak and only his hands could be seen. His deathly pale hands. Two figures knelt before him, their heads bowed in respect. "We failed my lord" whispered one of the people, "but we will get him soon enough" the other continued. "Don't fail me again the man growled causing the two people to shudder in fear. "Yes my lord" they both squeaked before teleporting back to the patch village.

It had been three weeks since Yoh had been confronted by Hao by the waterfall. Yoh still hadn't told his friends about what had happened because he didn't want them to worry and he also didn't want to suffer Anna's slap for being too weak to defend himself. Yoh was walking down the street whistling out a tune when he spotted Hao walking the other way with his followers. Their eyes connected for a second before Yoh looked away and continued walking. Hao turned to his followers "keep an eye on Yoh and report everything he does". "Yes Hao sama" they replied before turning to follow Yoh. Hao sighed. Why was he so interested in Yoh and his mysterious problem?

Another two days passed and nothing strange was reported to Hao by his followers however they did report that he often went off to think alone. Hao was surprised to hear this change in the usually carefree Yoh.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky and the clouds were like cotton candy, floating in the gentle breeze. Yoh sat by himself looking up at the clouds. Unknown to Yoh, Hao was hiding up in the tree watching him closely. Yoh slowly closed his eyes and started to sing.

'Far over the misty mountains cold,

To dungeons deep and caverns old,

The pines were roaring on the height,

The wind blew in the night,

The fire was red,

It's flaming spread,

The trees like torches,

Blazed with light'

Hao continued to stare. Why was Yoh singing? Suddenly Hao jumped down from the tree startling Yoh. "So what were you singing?" Hao asked curiously. "None of your business" replied Yoh. Hao sighed and sat down next to Yoh. "I know that there is something going on between you and those cloaked people" Hao began. He took a quick look at Yoh before carrying on. "Tell me, what is going on Yoh". Yoh looked at Hao before replying "I don't really know myself". Yoh then told Hao about his encounter with the cloaked man and woman and finally about the weird dreams he was having. "That is very strange" Hao stated after Yoh had finished his story. He looked at his brother again then slowly got up. "See you around Yoh. Hurry up and get stronger". Hao then disappeared in a burst of flames. Yoh sighed. 'You never change Hao, you only wanted to make sure that you would still get my power' Yoh thought sadly. Slowly Yoh got up and walked back home.

There was a flash of white light, the earth shook and crumbled. The buildings collapsed and the panicking people were showered with rubble. A cackling laughter behind me sent a shiver down my spine. Slowly I turned around, afraid of what I would find. My heart stopped in my chest as I recognised my surroundings. I looked in horror at the scene laid out before me. Bodies of the dead lay in a pile and on top of the pile sat the same man from before. He reached out his hand again but this time he spoke. "Come to me Yoh, Come to me and I shall spare your friends" He growled in a deep voice. I looked again at the disaster and then back at the man before waking up in my futon covered in sweat. "Master Yoh are you alright?" I looked up to see my guardian ghost Amidamaru looking at me with a worried look. "I'm fine" I lied, "I just had a bad dream". I lay back down again and tried to get back to sleep but every time I closed my eyes I saw the scene of the dream haunting my closed eyelids. Reluctantly I got up and climbed outside, onto the roof and watched the stars. I lay there completely relaxed. Amidamaru appeared next to me. "What's wrong?" Amidamaru asked. "Nothing" I replied "I just can't sleep so I thought that I would watch the stars instead". Amidamaru nodded and then also looked up to watch the stars. My thoughts focused again on my dream. 'Maybe the master that those cloaked people were talking about was the guy from my dream, I wonder what they wanted me for'. Four hours passed and before I knew it I had fallen asleep on the roof.

The sun's rays hit my eyes like a brick wall. I blinked and quickly got off the roof. Quickly I got changed into my battle clothes and grabbed Harusame, My sword, my orange headphones and bear claw necklace and rushed downstairs. Today my team; Funbari Onsen, had a match. I quickly ate some toast then ran to the arena. I found Faust and Ryu already waiting for me. "Sorry I'm late" I called out to them. "You're just in time Yoh" Faust replied. A loud BANG signalled the start of the fight. We all made our oversouls and attacked our competitors, a team called the Icemen. The match lasted for half an hour. We only just won our match but we were thrilled that we had won. We all went to a nearby café to celebrate. I know that I should have been happy but my dream kept coming back to haunt me. A sudden voice knocked me out of my thoughts. "Are you ok Yoh Kun, you seem to be very depressed lately, is something bothering you?" I looked down at my short, blonde friend. "I'm fine Manta; I just haven't been sleeping well lately". Manta looked at me for a moment before turning and walked back to the others. Silently I got up and left the café with Amidamaru.

The fire crackled and the night sky blacked out the surrounding landscape. Hao sat by the fire deep in thought. 'Yoh seems to be acting a lot stranger than before, he seems to be depressed. It doesn't matter though. Soon I will be shaman King; soon it will all be over'. "What's wrong Hao sama?" Hao looked around at Opacho, Luchuist and the Hanagumi. "Nothing, I was just thinking". They silently bowed their heads and left Hao to think alone. 'Maybe I should send someone to watch Yoh and make sure that he is getting stronger'. "Opacho" Hao called out loudly. A few seconds later Opacho came scurrying over. "What is it Hao sama?" Opacho asked quietly. "I want you to watch Yoh for me" Hao replied without looking away from the flames. Opacho bowed her head and silently left for the village.

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	4. Suprise Attack

**Chapter 4**

The moon was shining brightly in the midnight sky and the leaves danced in the wind. Yoh and Amidamaru walked down the silent street, occasionally sparing a glance to the stars that were twinkling in the sky. Suddenly Yoh heard a cackle come from one of the closed shops. He got out Harusame and moved into a fighting stance. His eyes darted around looking for any sign of movement. Suddenly he heard a rustle behind him and quickly swung Harusame. Clang! His sword vibrated slightly as he crossed blades with the cloaked man from before. "You" Yoh hissed before jumping back and creating his oversoul. Suddenly he felt pain in his back and collapsed onto the floor. The cloaked woman had slashed him from behind leaving a long cut along his back. Desperately Yoh tried to get up but he was still tired from his match earlier. Yoh blinked back tears of frustration as his enemies crept closer. 'I can't believe that I allowed them to get me, what should I do? There is no one here to help me'. Yoh closed his eyes fearing the worse when suddenly his captors screamed out in pain. Slowly Yoh forced himself to open his eyes for a second before falling into darkness.

Opacho was walking down an empty street when she felt Yoh's furiyoku. Quickly she rushed down the street to where she felt Yoh's energy. She arrived on the street to see Yoh collapse at the feet of the two cloaked figures from before. She watched as they approached Yoh. Suddenly the two were blasted away from Yoh's collapsed form by another cloaked figure, but this person was different. Their cloak was white and showed a symbol of a star and sun combined. The new arrival bent down and picked up Yoh's unconscious form before teleporting away in a flash of light. "Opacho must report this to Hao sama" Opacho declared before rushing back to Hao.

The darkness surrounded me like a mist, creeping towards my troubled soul. I screamed out desperately hoping that someone would answer my call. Silence. I was alone. I was lost. I couldn't control the tears that threatened to flow from my eyes. I desperately tried to calm down, to convince myself that everything was going to be alright. Once I had calmed down I took another look at my dark surroundings. The black mist flickered evilly and reminded me of my loneliness. The last thing I remembered was being saved by someone in a white cloak. The realisation hit me like a brick wall. "I must be unconscious" I stated aloud. I didn't like the feeling of being alone in this mist. I wonder if this is what Hao feels like. No family. No friends. Forever alone. I don't know why but I always find it easier to think, to calm down if I sing a song. I sat down and started to sing, attempting to solve some of the problems in my head.

'One night and one more time,

Thanks for the memories even though they weren't so great,

He tastes like you only sweeter,

One night yeah and one more time,

Thanks for the memories thanks for the memories,

See he tastes like you only sweeter,

Ohhhhh,

One more night,

One more time,

Thanks for the memories thanks for the memories,

See he tastes like you only sweeter,

Ohhhhh'

As I finished singing the song I could see the darkness around me starting to fade away.

I could feel pain running across the length of my back. Slowly I forced myself to open my eyes. I was momentarily blinded by the suns strong rays. I had to blink a few times before my eyes adjusted to the bright light. "So you're finally awake" a gentle voice called out from behind me. I turned my head to look at my saviour. I tried to get up but they pushed me back down. "I have treated your wounds but you still need to rest". I lay back down and looked at my surroundings. We were in a small cave close to the patch village. "How long have I been out" I demanded after confirming my location. "Three days" replied the stranger who rescued me. I looked back at the stranger for a second. "What is going on? Who are you?" They looked at me for a second before replying "I can't explain it right now but I can take you to someone who can explain everything". I nodded my head before answering "Ok, so when do we leave".

The deadly aura made everyone in range cower in fear. The source of this frightening aura came from Hao Asakura who was stomping up the street with his followers. Hao had been in a bad mood ever since Yoh had disappeared three days ago without a trace. He had sent his followers to go and find Yoh but they came back with no luck. "Why can't you find one person in three days" Hao snapped at his followers. They all shuddered in fear before quickly apologising to the furious fire shaman. As they passed a café they heard raised voices. Hao stopped to listen to the commotion. "Why haven't you found Yoh yet" a cold, icy voice snapped. A loud slap was heard along with a cry of pain. "We have looked Anna but we can't find him. None of use expected him to disappear but he had been acting strangely for the last couple of days". Silence followed before the angry itako stormed out of the shop, angry tears sliding down her face. She was soon followed by all of Yoh's friends; Hao noticed that Ren had a slightly swollen left cheek. After they were out of sight Hao slowly turned around to face his followers. "Seems like nobody knows where my brother is" he thought aloud before making his way back to their camp.

The wind howled and slapped Yoh's cheeks. The mysterious stranger had lead Yoh to the top of a cliff overlooking the patch village. Yoh watched the stranger stop in front of him and watched as they made a sign with their hands. At first nothing happened but then they both started to glow. Yoh looked in shock as he watched his hand fade in front of his eyes. He looked up to see the stranger chuckle before they both faded into nothingness.

The news of Yoh's sudden disappearance had soon spread throughout the whole village. To everyone's surprise the shaman tournament was put on hold until Yoh is found. The patch then asked all of the shamans to help them find the missing Asakura. Even the X Laws agreed to help find Yoh much to the shock of the other shamans but nothing shocked them more than the fact that Hao was helping to look for Yoh. They searched the entire village and the surrounding area but they still didn't find Yoh. It was like he had disappeared off the face of the earth.

* * *

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	5. The Mondrian

Chapter 5

Blinking open his eyes, Yoh found himself in a large, white, marble room. He looked around and spotted the figure still by his side. Flap. Yoh's eyes widened as the cloak was taken off to reveal a beautiful young girl the same age as Yoh. She had long chestnut hair and golden eyes. She was dressed in a white battle uniform which consisted of a white tank top, combat jacket and combat pants. A silver belt around her waist held her long sword and a variety of other mysterious weapons which Yoh had never seen before. Yoh continued to stare in shock until he heard the girl chuckle. "My name is Yuki, Yuki Hash. I have taken you to the headquarters of the Mondrian. Please follow me; our leader will explain everything to you". She turned around and lead Yoh into an assembly room where hundreds of people all dressed in the white uniform sat watching him. In the centre of the room there was a podium which faced a throne. On the throne sat a red haired man. Yuki lead Yoh up to the podium then quickly took her seat with the rest of the assembly. Nervously Yoh peaked up at the red haired man. His spiky red hair shimmered in the light and his kind purple eyes stayed focused on Yoh. After looking Yoh up and down he finally spoke. "Yoh Asakura, you have been brought to the court of the Mondrian. My name is Zero Matsumoto, I am the leader of the Mondrian. I shall give you the answers you seek but in return I would like you to help us".

Yoh silently stared back at Zero before slowly nodding his head. Zero then began his story. "Five thousand years ago there once lived a man called Zelman Levroth. During this time nobody knew of the Great Spirit or shamans, they believed in magic. Back in those times there were many legends of gods, dragons, mythical creatures and weapons of unimaginable power. Zelman was a very talented magic user and could perform many different sorts of magic and became a very powerful sorcerer. Unfortunately he gained so much power that he was eventually corrupt by it. He boasted of becoming even more powerful than the gods. When he was thirty five he lost his entire family to a terrible fire which burned down his home. He was stricken with grief and blamed the gods for murdering his family. He tried to destroy Faren the god of the land so that he could make the entire world perish for taking away his loved ones. He almost succeeded but was stopped by the Mondrian of five thousand years ago. His corrupt spirit was sealed away into the land but before he was sealed he spoke of a power that could kill any god or spirit. After Zelman's spirit was sealed the power he spoke of was revealed to be the legend of the Hoshii gate. It was said to be a gate that lead strait to the source of the stars where any power could be used or taken to be controlled by a single person. To prevent people from attaining this power the gods used their power to lock the gate for all eternity, but a weakness was soon found. It seems that the key to the gate was hidden in an angel until she was killed and the key passed on to a suitable living host. Five thousand years later the host was found. During this time an organisation called the Mandarin formed from the remnants of Zelman's followers. Their goal was to resurrect Zelman and help him to open the Hoshii gate. One month ago they succeeded in freeing and resurrecting Zelman and now they are after the one person in the whole world with the key. They are after you Yoh".

Yoh stood there rooted to the spot. "I have the key to the Hoshii gate" he managed to stutter. He looked down at the floor while trying to process everything he had just heard. "Yes you do, and you mustn't let Zelman get the key to the gate or he will be unbeatable" Zero replied. Yoh looked up at Zero again. "But I don't know what the key is" Yoh cried out. Zero looked at him for a second before whispering "You do know but the time for you to remember it has not yet come". "What should I do, The Mandarin are after me because I have the key to a gate that has the power to destroy gods". Zero stood up and walked over to Yoh. "I want you to join the Mondrian and aid us in our battle to stop the Mandarin and Zelman". Yoh looked in shock at Zero before looking away. "Ok" Yoh replied, determination flared in his eyes. "I will stop Zelman and also protect my friends from his wrath". Zero smiled before holding out his hand to Yoh. "Welcome to the Mondrian".

Yoh stared at his reflection in the mirror. An onyx eyed teenage boy stared back at him from the mirror. Yoh's normal clothes had been replaced with his own custom uniform. He was dressed in a white jumpsuit along with a silver weapons belt that currently held Harusame. A long white cloak decorated with the Mondrian symbol hung from his shoulders and a small white mask covered his eyes and upper cheekbones. After joining the Mondrian he was introduced to his teammates. He was teamed with two boys called Kanji Okumara and Kimimaru Dane, a girl called Sakura Light and Yuki. They were all thirteen years old and they all came from Japan.

Kanji was a purple haired Onmyouji who had a large temper. He had bright, blood red eyes that bore into anyone who looked at them. He was an orphan that had been adopted by a famous onmyouji and had spent most of his life learning onmyouji skills. When his adoptive father was killed by the Mandarin he joined the Mondrian hoping to prevent the pain he had gone through from happening to anyone else.

Kimimaru was a blonde haired boy with his spiky hair pointing in every direction. His dark blue eyes represented raging seas. He specialised in using long range weapons like guns and crossbows. His father was a soldier in Japan and often came home and taught Kimimaru how to use long range weapons to defend himself. When the Mondrian came asking for his and his father's help they accepted the offer straight away.

Sakura was a long, pink haired girl who specialised in using magic. Her mother was a healer and a distant cousin of one of the members in the league. Ever since she was little Sakura wanted to help people so when she heard that many members of the Mondrian were wounded from her cousin she instantly joined. She carried many spells in her bag and also carried many herbs used for healing magic. She spent three years with the Mondrian and had learnt a variety of spells. Her green eyes reminded Yoh of the fields of funbari hill and Yoh felt a pang in his gut as he realised how much he missed his home.

Yuki was a samurai and also carried a sword called Nightblade. Her father was a swordsman and taught classes to many Japanese children. Yuki learnt many swordsmanship skills from her father but one night he was murdered and Yuki was left to fend for herself on the streets at the age of eight. Luckily she was found by a member of the Mondrian who brought her back with them and she had grown up as a member of the Mondrian ever since.

Yoh was then trained by the Mondrian for a week. He learnt how to teleport, how to create wings to fly, how to give first aid treatment, how to create shields and a couple of other basic spells. Yoh and Yuki often trained together and soon gained lots of experience with their swords. One afternoon when Yoh was practising his teleporting Zero came to visit. Zero walked up to Yoh before saying "It's time for you and your team to leave on your first mission. You are going to find and capture the two Mandarin spies currently hiding in the patch village, they may have information concerning the location of Zelman or the Hoshii gate". Yoh saluted before turning to depart for the patch village. "Yoh" Zero called out. "Yes sir what is it?" Yoh asked politely. "Wear your mask when out in the patch village, you have been missing for a while and everyone is still looking for you. You don't want to bring unnecessary attention to yourself because the Mandarin spies could use it to their advantage and as a chance to get away if you have them on the run" Zero replied. "Yes sir" Yoh answered before leaving the training room.

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Please review ^_^


	6. Return to the village

Chapter 6

The leaves flew in the gentle breeze, the sun shined through the floating clouds and the birds chirped as they flew in the blue sky. Yoh smiled as he walked through the forest. The trees swayed steadily in the wind and the million flowers showed off their colours. 'It's so beautiful here' Yoh thought happily to himself.

After an hour of walking through the pretty paradise Yoh, Yuki, Sakura, Kanji and Kimimaru eventually arrived at the waterfall which Yoh had gone to before. The water trickled down the rocks, shimmering in the sun's rays.

Chuckling happily to himself Yoh splashed Kanji instantly soaking the purple haired onmyouji. "Yoh" Kanji screeched before splashing Yoh back. Soon after a water fight commenced between the five of them. After half an hour of splashing, soaking and laughing they all collapsed on the ground chuckling to themselves. "So who won?" Yoh asked after a moment's silence. "I did" shouted Kanji. "No you didn't I did" Kimimaru shouted back. Both of the boys jumped up and instantly started fighting each other again. Suddenly Yoh's stomach grumbled loudly. All four heads snapped towards the sound. "Uhh… Want to get something to eat" Yoh asked sweat dropping. After a moments silence they all burst out laughing. "Let's go" Yuki shouted grabbing Yoh's arm and half pulled half dragged the hungry shaman through the forest.

It was two o clock in the afternoon when they reached the patch village. "I'll go and get some food" Yuki shouted as she bolted forward into the village. Yoh settled down on a rock while Kanji and Kimimaru did some last minute training. Sakura was studying the flowers that surrounded them like a ring. Yoh lay back against the rock and started to sing to himself.

Do you know?

Do you know?

Do you know?

Do you know what it feels like loving someone,

That's in a rush to throw you away,

Do you know what it feels like to be the last one,

To know the lock on the door has changed,

If birds flying south's a sign of changes,

At least you can predict this every year,

Love, you never know the minute it ends,

Suddenly I can't get it to speak

Maybe find you all the things it took to save us,

I could fix the pain that bleeds inside of me,

Look in your eyes 'til I see there's something about me,

I'm standing on the edge and I don't know what else to give

Do you know what it feels like loving someone,

That's in a rush to throw you away,

Do you know what it feels like to be the last one,

To know the lock on the door has changed,

Do you know what it feels like loving someone,

That's in a rush to throw you away,

Do you know what it feels like to be the last one,

To know the lock on the door has changed,

Do you know?

Do you know?

Do you know?

Do you?

The sound of applause made Yoh look up. Sakura, Kanji and Kimimaru were sat around him listening to his song. "That was great" Sakura congratulated. "I never knew you could sing" Kanji pointed out. "Cool" Kimimaru shouted. "Thanks" Yoh happily replied. "Hey guys I have cheeseburgers" Yuki shouted as she reached her sitting friends. She chucked a cheeseburger at Yoh who caught it and fell off the rock.

After their bellies were full they slowly got up and headed into the patch village. "Let's split up, we can cover more ground and find the spy's quicker" Stated Kanji. They all agreed before heading off down five different streets.

It was a hot afternoon. Hao trudged along the busy street with Opacho at his side. "At this rate I'll never become shaman king, why did they have to pause the tournament for my other half?" Hao grumbled to himself. 'And why hasn't Yoh been found yet, he can't have disappeared'. "Hao sama?" Peering down at the small girl next to him Hao answered "What is it Opacho?" "Can we get something to eat" the small African girl pleaded. Hao stopped and lifted Opacho onto his shoulders. "Ok let's get something to eat".

Yuki pushed her way past the millions of people that swarmed the overcrowded street. 'Where are they, they've got to be here somewhere'. Yuki sneaked peeks into all of the shops that she passed but she couldn't see any red cloaks or Mandarin symbols. She had almost given up her search when she saw two suspicious figures rushing away from the street when they saw her. 'Found you' she thought before rushing after the fleeing man and woman.

Yoh happily skipped along the almost empty side street. 'It's good to be back' Yoh thought, 'but it's a shame that I can't go and see my friends, I wonder how they are doing'. Smack. Pain shot across Yoh's head and he fell over. He hadn't been paying attention and had just walked into a lamppost. "Ouch" Yoh cried quietly. He picked himself back up and carried on walking. He was about to make a left turn when suddenly a man and woman came out of nowhere in front of him.

The man had short brown hair and beige eyes. He had a pointy nose and a large mouth that was painted in a frown. He was dressed in a simple red shirt, black jeans and a pair of black converses. A long sword hung by his waist.

The woman had long blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She looked strong and her scowl screamed out 'mess with me and you will suffer'. She was dressed in a red tank top, black shorts and black converses. A sword also hung at her waist.

They stopped running as they saw Yoh. "Hello my little songbird" The man stated, a smirk slowly crept across his face. Yoh looked at them in shock. "You're the spies, you're the guys from before" Yoh shouted pointing an accusing finger at them.

The woman smirked as well at this point. In an instant they had both put on their Mandarin cloaks. "Yoh" a voice shouted out. Yoh watched as Yuki came rushing around the corner. The man and woman instantly started to run again. "Goodbye Yoh" They shouted over their shoulder. "Get back here" Yoh and Yuki shouted at the same time.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed the story,

Please review,

If you have any ideas that I could include in this story please PM me or post it in a review


	7. The chase

Chapter 7

I chased after them as they fled. My heart pounded in my chest and my feet were beginning to ache. The pattering of feet behind me told me that Yuki was with me. I focused on the red cloaked backs, not letting them out of my line of sight for even a second.

We ran through nearly all of the patch village. A Left turn, right turn, down the main street. Second left at the fountain and right by the café. After ten minutes of running I could see that they were getting tired. They were starting to get slower and we steadily caught up with them.

As we turned another left I took a chance and lunged at the man. I managed to grab his cloak and pulled him to the ground. Instantly he started struggling. He punched me in the stomach but I managed to hold onto him, and my lunch.

As soon as Yoh grabbed the man Yuki jumped in front of the startled woman. "Stop right there" Yuki demanded unsheathing Nightblade. The woman skidded to a stop on the rocky street. "No" she growled unsheathing her own sword.

Yoh pulled out a pair of handcuffs while still keeping a firm hold on the man's arms. A sudden pain to the side of his head startled him and he let go of the man. Yoh put his hand to his head and gasped slightly when he saw the stain of blood on his hand. "I'm sorry did that hurt you my little songbird" the man asked sarcastically. Yoh watched as the man took a strange looking weapon out of his pocket. It looked like a pair of pumpkin seeds. They were large and the colour of soot. Yoh cautiously took a step back. The man muttered something and the seed like objects flew up in the air. When they were two metres apart from each other a black energy bolt emerged from one of the objects and connected with the other. It looked like a combination of a staff and spear.

Suddenly the man slashed at Yoh, the mysterious weapon in hand. Yoh instinctively jumped back and pulled Harusame out of its sheath. Yoh carefully landed back down on the street. Yoh could tell that many people were staring at their battle by the silence that plagued the usually noisy street. Yoh was about to oversoul with Amidamaru but thought against it since most shamans knew that Amidamaru was his guardian ghost, And Yoh couldn't let anyone know who he really was. 'Well it looks like I will have to try out some of the new tricks I learnt in training' Yoh thought to himself.

Hao sighed. "Can't I even buy a burger without there being a commotion outside" He grumbled to himself. He could hear many shocked whispers and thoughts coming from outside on the street. He also thought he heard sounds of a battle outside. Slamming open the door of the shop he stomped outside. "Opacho can't see past the tall people, what is going on Hao Sama?" Carefully Hao lifted the girl onto his shoulder and they both stared past the on looking people and to the battle beyond.

A chestnut haired girl dressed in white was fighting a blonde haired woman in a blood red cloak. Sparks flew into the air as their swords clashed. They both seemed to be very skilled with a sword. Hao studied their techniques for a second before dragging his eyes over to the other battle.

This battle was between a white cloaked boy wearing a white mask over his eyes and upper cheekbones. The boys shoulder length brown hair flew in the air as the boy jumped to avoid attacks from his opponent. Hao watched as the boy dodged the man again then suddenly disappeared. The boy's opponent looked around in shock before he was suddenly hit from behind. The boy stood a few meters away, his hand still held up from the attack he had just made.

Stumbling to his feet the man shrieked out in rage and lunged again at the boy. He jumped to the left and unsheathed a sword. 'That sword, I think I've seen it somewhere before, but where?' Hao thought. Rushing forward the boy swung a blow to the man who managed to parry the blow at the last second.

A loud explosion from the other battle caused Hao to snap his eyes around. The chestnut haired girl from before was being held to the wall by the blonde woman, a hand tightening around her throat. Hao watched as the blonde woman lifted her sword to deal the final blow.

Suddenly the woman cried out in pain and fell to the floor. The boy stood in front of her supporting the injured girl. Blood trickled down the woman's head and mixed in with the red colour of her cloak. Slowly she got back to her feet and glared at the boy, a murderous glint in her eye.

Appearing out of nowhere the man stood next to the woman. They both raised their weapons at the same time and pointed them at the crouching teenagers. They towered over them like giants over ants. They swung down.

"Look out" a voice suddenly bellowed. Yet another boy had arrived on the scene. The boy had purple hair and looked very angry at the man and woman. "Kanji you finally made it. I was starting to think you wouldn't come and help us out" the boy shouted as he appeared close to me and the rest of the watching spectators.

The boy – Kanji reached into his pocket and withdrew his hand with a talisman. He threw it at the man who was instantly blinded and stumbled backwards. Kanji then ran over to the boy and girl. "Is Yuki ok, where is Sakura when you need her?" Kanji grumbled. "I don't know, cover for me while I give her first aid treatment" the boy replied. Kanji nodded before turning to face their enemies. "So you're the spies, who are you" he snapped. "I'm Gaston, one of Zelman's followers and the one who will capture the key" the man proudly bellowed. "My name is Elizabeth and I shall kill you Mondrian scum" The woman shouted before running into her attack.

While Kanji, Gaston and Elizabeth fought Yoh treated some of Yuki's wounds. "Yuki can you hear me, see me. Do you feel any better yet?" Yoh asked with a worried tone in his voice. Suddenly Yuki's hand tightened around Yoh's. "Yes I can see and hear you, I think I can fight now" Yuki replied before trying to get back to her feet. "Thank God you're ok" Yoh happily cried while helping Yuki to her feet. "Let's go kick some butt" Yuki shouted before rushing back into the battle.

Yoh followed her and soon clashed swords with Elizabeth. They slashed at each other for five minutes before she struck a hard blow to Yoh's head, shattering his mask into thousands of pieces. Yoh could hear gasps of shock coming from all over the street. "Yoh" Yuki screamed out.

I froze in shock as the broken mask fell off of the boy's face. The familiar onyx eyes, the almost identical face. "Yoh" Yuki screamed out. It all made sense now. The shoulder length hair, the sword, the similar voice, the mask. "Yoh" I whispered quietly. "Hao sama look its Yoh" Opacho cried out from my shoulders.

I ran forwards, pushing myself through the crowd. "Yoh" I bellowed. I watched him turn to look at me, a look of shock plastered on his face. Instantly he turned around and began to run along with Kanji and Yuki. "Abort the mission" I heard Yoh yell. I heard running to my right and saw two more teenagers appear beside them. "Sakura, Kimimaru we're abandoning the mission, Yoh's identity has been discovered" Yuki yelled as they ran.

"Yoh wait" I called out as I jumped onto the spirit of fire. I sped forwards. Yuki peeked over her shoulder as she saw me advancing. She warned the rest of them and I watched as they all clapped their hands together and started to chant. I had almost caught up with them when they started to fade away. "Yoh" I shouted and reached out. As my fingers closed in on Yoh he disappeared like mist before my very eyes. 'Yoh, why did you hide your identity? Why did you run away?' I thought before slowly turning back to look at Opacho. "What's going on Hao sama?" she asked. "I don't know, let's go back to camp" I replied before walking away down the street, hundreds of questions running through my mind.

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Please review ;)


	8. Feelings in the middle of the night

**Yoh:** Why? Why do I have to be the one with the key?

**Me: **Because that is what I wanted

**Yoh: **-_-

**Me: **Here's another chapter, please enjoy

* * *

Chapter 8

They appeared in a flash of white light in front of a startled Mondrian member. Yoh fell to the floor exhausted. "Yoh, Yuki, Kanji, Kimimaru, Sakura, your back earlier than I expected, where are the spies?" The man asked. They all looked down at the floor, heads hanging in defeat. "We failed, Yoh's mask was shattered. We had to run because we were almost caught by Hao Asakura" Yuki muttered sadly. "That's a shame; we will have to try a different plan next time" Zero called out as he entered the room. "Lord Zero" the five of them called out at the same time. Instantly they all saluted. "Please be at ease" Zero demanded. They all stood in silence waiting for Zero to speak. "You all look exhausted, go and get some rest. Don't worry about what happened the first mission is usually a tough challenge" Zero ordered before turning and leaving the room.

They all let out their breathes that they didn't realise they were holding. "Well see you guys tomorrow" Yoh muttered before turning to leave. Yoh left through the corridor on the right and slowly dragged himself through the corridors until he reached his room. Once he reached his room he pulled the door open and stepped in.

The room was small but cosy. A small bed with two white pillows and a large white duvet was next to a small window. A small bedside cabinet held up a bright lamp and a hairbrush. Opposite the bed there was a large wardrobe which held all of Yoh's old clothes as well as new ones. The antiquity lay on a small desk opposite the door along with a chair.

Yoh stumbled over to the wardrobe and opened it. He carefully got out a yukata and placed his jumpsuit and cloak inside. Quickly Yoh changed and walked over to the bed. He placed the weapons belt in his bedside draw that also contained his orange headphones and bear claw necklace. He placed Harusame on the desk along with the antiquity and climbed into the warm bed.

Yoh looked up at the ceiling. Wrapped in the warmth of the duvet Yoh thought about what happened at the village. Yoh finished casting the long distance transport spell. As he began to fade Yoh looked up and saw Hao reaching out to grab him. 'Hao' Yoh thought before he was transported to the Mondrian headquarters. 'Why did Hao chase after me, does he even care that I was missing or did he just want to take my power' Yoh thought. The confusing thoughts were starting to give him a headache. "Everything will work out" Yoh assured himself before closing his eyes and drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

Hao stared into the fire. A wave of sadness washed over him as he remembered what had happened earlier that day. 'Why, why did you run away from me Yoh'? The fire crackled once more, wavered and went out leaving Hao sat in the darkness. "What is going on?" Hao wondered aloud.

Slowly Hao got up and brushed the dust from his pants and poncho. "I'm going for a walk" Hao told his followers before making his way into the forest. He walked across the grass and leaves staring at the beauty of the midnight forest. The walk was helping him to clear his mind from the constant buzzing of thoughts.

Before he knew it Hao stumbled across the waterfall. Hao made his way over to the rock and sat down. He looked at the cascading water and stared into its depths. The water sparkled in the moonlight like thousands of diamonds. 'What is this feeling, do I care for Yoh? No that can't be, Yoh is nothing but a power source to me'. 'Hao' a voice whispered. Hao froze where he sat. 'That voice sounded like Yoh's'. Hao grasped his head in his hands. "What is happening to me, why do I feel like this" Hao yelled out to the silent night. Hao calmed himself. "I need to find out what is going on, I need to talk to Yoh" he decided.

Hao stretched and got up from the rock. Slowly he walked back through the forest. 'I will find you Yoh' Hao thought, 'and next time I won't let you get away without an explanation'.

As Hao reached his camp he found all of his followers waiting for him. Hao walked up to them. His smirk found its way back onto the fire shaman's face. "Tomorrow we are going to start our search for Yoh, we shall find out the truth about what is going on" Hao announced before walking off to get some sleep.

Yoh once again stood in the destroyed patch village. "Yoh" a whispered voice called out. Yoh turned around and walked away from the bodies of the shamans. He walked until he reached the burning forest once again. Yoh heard a rustle and saw one of the shadows move. "Yoh" the shadow called out again. Yoh wanted to run away but for some reason his body disobeyed him as he slowly started to walk towards the shadow. As he approached the shadow a pale white hand reached out. "This is your last chance Yoh, come to me or watch everything you care about be destroyed before your very eyes" the low, rumbling voice hissed. Yoh stared at the hand for a few seconds before he woke up in his bed covered in sweat.

Yoh shivered even though it was warm in his room. 'Was that shadow Zelman?, is he going to start hurting people because of me? I need to tell Zero about this in the morning' Yoh thought. He looked out of the window and up at the moon. Yoh snuggled back into his blankets and tried to get some rest. After half an hour of failing to go to sleep Yoh slowly sat up in his bed. Yoh thought about Hao. 'Do you care Hao?' Yoh thought.

Yoh thought for a while. After an hour Yoh quietly started to sing.

On the first page of our story,

The future seemed so bright,

Then this thing turned out so evil,

I don't know why I'm still surprised,

Even angels have their wicked schemes,

And you take that to new extremes,

But you'll always be my hero,

Even though you've lost your mind,

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn,

Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts,

Just gonna stand there and hear me cry,

Well that's alright because I love the way you lie,

I love the way you lie,

I love the way you lie,

Now there's gravel in our voices,

Glasses shattered from the fight,

In this tug of war you always win,

Even when I'm right,

Cos you feed me fables from your head,

With violent words and empty threats,

And it's sick that all these battles are what keeps me satisfied,

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn,

Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts,

Just gonna stand there and hear me cry,

Well that's alright because I love the way you lie,

I love the way you lie,

I love the way you lie,

So maybe I'm a massacre,

I try to run but I don't wanna ever leave,

Til the walls are going up,

In smoke with all our memories,

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn,

Well that's alright because I like the way it hurts,

Just gonna stand there and hear me cry,

Well that's alright because I love the way you lie,

I love the way you lie,

I love the way you lie,

I love the way you lie,

As Yoh finished the song his eyes slowly closed and his mind dragged him off to dreamland.

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**Yoh: **Why do I have nightmares?

**Me:** Because your special

**Yoh: **Please review


	9. The Seeing Chamber

**Me: **Finally another chapter done

**Kanji:** Finally took you long enough

**Me: **Please enjoy

* * *

Chapter 9

The sun shone onto the sleepy boy's head and pulled him from the reaches of dreamland. His eyes fluttered open and he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Reluctantly he shifted out of his comfy bed and shuffled over to the wardrobe. Yoh pulled on a pair of jeans, black converses and a blue shirt. He pulled his brush through his strands of hair and made his bed before heading out of the door.

Yoh quickly made his way through the silent corridors. He stopped outside a large purple door covered in a giant Mondrian symbol. Yoh paused for a second to look at it before knocking. There was a moments silence before someone's voice called out "enter".

Yoh walked into a large room, a large strange room. The roof was covered in a large window that showed the outside sky. Large pillars towered up into the sky in a large circle. In the middle of the circle there was a stone alter. Waxed candlesticks hung on the walls and the whole room looked ancient.

In the centre of the room stood Zero. He was leaning against the alter and was looking up at the ceiling. Yoh lumbered over. Zero looked down as Yoh approached. "Good morning Yoh is something wrong?" he asked. Yoh reached the alter and sat on it next to Zero. "I had another nightmare" Yoh answered. Zero also sat down on the alter and turned his head to look at Yoh. "Tell me about it". Yoh sighed and looked down at his lap. "I was in the destroyed patch village again when I heard a voice calling out to me. I followed the voice until I reached the burning forest and the man was there again. He held out his hand to me and said 'This is your last chance Yoh, come to me or watch everything you care about be destroyed before your very eyes', then I woke up" Yoh explained.

Zero was silent as he processed everything that he had been told. "I think that the man was Zelman" Yoh confessed. Suddenly Zero placed a hand on Yoh's shoulder which made the teen look up. "It will be ok Yoh; we're all here for you. Remember one for all and all for one. Thank you for telling me this information". Zero smiled at the boy who smiled back.

"Tell me Yoh, Do you know what this room is" Zero asked. "No" Yoh replied while eyeing his surroundings. "It is called the seeing chamber" Zero announced while getting to his feet. "The seeing chamber" the confused shaman asked. "Yes the seeing chamber, look up at the ceiling". Yoh looked up at the ceiling. "What do you see?" "The sky" Yoh replied. "What do you want to see?" Zero asked. Yoh thought for a moment before answering "my friends". Yoh watched Zero place his hands on the alter and murmur a few words.

Suddenly the image of the sky was replaced by a different scene. Ren, Horohoro, Manta, Chocolove, Faust and Rio were all eating breakfast in a café. They were acting like they always were; Ren and Horohoro arguing, Manta and Faust talking and Chocolove telling a joke to Rio; but Yoh noticed the slightly sad look on all of their faces. As Anna walked in Yoh watched all of the gang go silent. Anna looked very angry and started shouting at them and slapped them. Yoh also noticed that she was also sad.

Yoh felt an uncomfortable tugging feeling in his gut as he remembered how much he missed his friends, how much he missed his old life, how much he missed being free from this curse, free from knowing he had the key. Zero stared at the shaman who looked up sadly at the ceiling. A tear slowly trickled from Yoh's eye and down his cheek. Zero pulled Yoh into a hug. "It'll be ok Yoh, you can see your friends as soon as we have defeated Zelman and his followers, you and your friends will be free after that". Yoh wiped the tears from his face and looked up at Zero. "Thanks for everything" Yoh mumbled.

Yoh's smile slowly crept back over Yoh's face. "See that's the Yoh I know" Zero joked. They both chuckled before walking towards the exit. "Go and get some breakfast, I'll explain your team's next mission this afternoon". "Yes sir" Yoh replied before heading off down the corridor towards the banquet hall. Zero turned the opposite way and walked to the assembly hall. He was greeted by many of the members as he walked to his throne. "I'm calling assembly, we have some new information that we need to discuss".

As Yoh entered the banquet hall he was greeted by shouts of "Hello" and waves. "Hey guys" Yoh called out as he sat down at a table. Kimimaru, Kanji, Sakura and Yuki watched him as he grabbed a piece of buttery toast. They all chatted as they ate breakfast. "So Yoh, what should we do today?" Yuki asked curiously. "Let's go for a walk. We are getting our next mission briefing this afternoon though". There were murmured whispers of excitement around the table. "Yes we've got another mission, I wanted to get some more action" Kanji shouted excitedly. Yoh chuckled as he ate his toast.

After they had all finished eating they all trudged down to the front door. "So where should we go?" Yoh asked. "Let's go to Tokyo" Kimimaru shouted. "New York" Sakura pleaded. "London" Yuki whispered. Kanji remained silent. Yoh looked around at Kanji. "Where do you want to go Kanji?" Yoh asked. Kanji looked up and smiled. "It's a surprise, everyone close your eyes". They all closed their eyes and heard Kanji mutter something as they were teleported.

A gentle breeze blew on their faces and the morning sun caressed their faces. As they opened their eyes they all gasped at the view. In the distance the Eiffel Tower could be seen towering over the millions of buildings and homes. The green grass was covered in the moist morning dew and trees bearing leaves of many different colours ran down in two lines towards the Eiffel Tower.

"Welcome to Paris" Kanji proudly presented. "Wow" Kimimaru gasped. "It's beautiful" Sakura gasped. Yoh and Yuki smiled as they took in the view of their surroundings. Looking around Yoh saw a bench and shuffled over to sit on it. The others followed and soon they were all sat on the bench joking, laughing and horsing around.

Before they knew it several hours had passed. Suddenly a clock chimed one o clock. "We need to get back to HQ now" Yoh stated reluctantly. Slowly they all stood up and teleported back to the Mondrian.

They appeared in the entrance hall where Yoh came the first time he came to the Mondrian HQ. "Hey guys what is this place called?" Yoh asked. He turned to look at them and waited for them to answer. "This citadel is called 庇護 城 which means protection castle" Yuki explained. "It is hidden in the countryside near Tokyo by many spells" Kimimaru added. Yoh was silent as his mind processed this information. "Well let's get going or we are going to be late for our mission briefing" Kanji grumbled. "Ok" Yoh replied happily and the five of them made their way to the briefing room.

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**Kanji: **When do I get some action, when do I get to defeat all the bad guys

**Me: **There will be some action soon, who said you will defeat the bad guys?

**Kanji: **I did

**Me: -_-'**

**Kanji: **Please review


	10. The Recon Mission Begins

**Me: **Another chapter done! Thanks to everyone who has favourited or reviewed the story

**Kimimaru:** Yay! I've been looking forward to our next mission

**Me: **Hope you enjoy

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Chapter 10

The wind blew in my face as I sat on the cliff. A loud growling of a stomach made me look down to the small African girl sat next to me. "Are you hungry Opacho?" I asked. When she slowly nodded her head I got to my feet. "Then let's get something to eat" I suggested. "Yes Hao sama" Opacho replied.

As we walked to the village the rest of my followers gradually appeared and relayed me the same news. "I'm sorry Hao Sama, I didn't find out anything about Yoh or the people he was with". This started to annoy me after the sixth time of hearing it being said.

The news of Yoh's appearance and escape had soon spread across the entire village. Anna had been in an even worse mood than before and had even attempted to slap Hao for letting Yoh slip through his fingers. The rest of Yoh's gang had tried their best to keep their distance from the furious itako.

Hao sighed as he approached the ramen shop. Who knew that Yoh could cause so much trouble? 'I will find you Yoh, you can count on it' Hao thought as he entered the shop. "Two bowls of Miso ramen" Hao snapped at the terrified shopkeeper. Instantly the shopkeeper busied himself at the stove. Hao plonked down into one of the seats and helped Opacho up onto her seat. Hao waited for about ten minutes before a hot, steaming bowl of ramen was placed before him. He picked up his chopsticks and began to eat.

As he ate his thoughts wandered again to his little brother. The look of shock when his mask had been broken, how he had run away upon his identity being discovered. Before he knew it Hao was staring into the bottom of his empty bowl.

Hao chucked a few coins at the shopkeeper before swiftly leaving the shop with Opacho following behind.

Once outside Hao heard someone calling out his name as they ran towards him. "Hao sama" Mari gasped as she reached the fire shaman. Hao stopped and looked at the panting girl. "What?" He demanded in an annoyed tone. "I know the full names of the people that were fighting Yoh that day!" Mari shouted proudly. Instantly Hao's anger was replaced with a small sliver of hope. "Their full names are Gaston Kent and Elizabeth Blake" Mari continued. A small smile crept across Hao's face. "Tell everyone to search for Gaston Kent and Elizabeth Blake" Hao commanded before quickly hurrying down the street.

Unknown to Hao, Mari and Opacho someone else had been listening in on their conversation. "So the spies full names are Gaston Kent and Elizabeth Blake, this makes our job so much easier" He grinned before teleporting away.

Silence emerged as the five teens stumbled into the briefing room. Instantly the ten pairs of eyes locked onto them. "You finally made it" Zero chuckled before leading the teens into the centre of the room. In the centre of the room there was a large hologram table.

The hologram table was massive. It was a dark grey colour and the sides were covered in strange markings and symbols. A hologram generator was built into the centre within the table-sized cylindrical base.

As they approached the large table Zero waved his hand and instantly a hologram blinked into life. The hologram showed pictures of two people. Yoh, Yuki and Kanji instantly recognised them. "They're the spies" Yuki stated. Sakura and Kimimaru studied the spies' faces as they had missed the fight in the village. "So what is our mission Zero Sama" Kanji asked curiously. Zero waited until he had gained their attention before answering. "Your mission is a Reconnaissance mission. I have received some Intel from one of my scouts in the village, he has found out the names of these two spies. Their names are Gaston Kent and Elizabeth Blake. Your mission is to find out as much Intel as you can on these two as well as their lives and background".

They paid close attention to all of the details Zero gave them about their mission. "I would also suggest not wearing our uniform, it would be easier to blend into the crowd and less suspicious. It would also avoid bringing lots of attention to yourself, good luck on your second mission". "Yes Sir" they all chanted simultaneously before slinking out of the room.

"I hope that their second mission goes well" a blonde haired man thought aloud. "So do I" Zero replied, "so do I".

"So…" Sakura started when they made it out into the corridor, "Where do we start?" Everyone shrugged their shoulders. "This is going to be tougher than I first thought" Kanji admitted. They all walked in silence until they reached the entrance hall and the front door. "Maybe we should check on the internet in a local library, you never know what you might find on the internet" Yoh suggested. "That's a great idea" Yuki squealed before pulling Yoh into a hug. "You're a life well team saver" Yuki yelled in Yoh's ear.

After a few minutes of excited chatter the five teens left out of the front door. Once outside they stopped again. "Where should we go to look for a computer" Kimimaru asked. There was silence as they all thought to themselves. "There's one in the patch village that's free from charge" Sakura sighed, "but it's dangerous for Yoh to go there, I mean what if the spies or Hao find him". Before she could say anything else Yoh interrupted her. "We'll just have to take the risk then, come on let's go". Sakura and Yuki looked like they were about to protest before Yoh gave them a stern look and they remained quiet.

Yoh clapped his hands and started to mutter '_To the north, to the south, to the east, to the west. Please shine your everlasting light and guide me to the place I wish to be by tonight. Send me to the patch village'_.

As Yoh began chanting the others followed his lead and began their transportation spells. As soon as the spell was finished they faded before being transported to their destination.

The Patch village was surprisingly full on the hot afternoon. Yoh, Kanji, Kimimaru, Sakura and Yuki appeared in a deserted alleyway off a busy main street still dressed in their uniform. "We need to change clothes before we are recognised, the whole village will be looking out for us now that they know we are with Yoh" Kanji hissed quietly. The rest of them silently agreed by nodding their heads.

They found a long, ragged, brown coat abandoned in the alleyway. They all played rock, paper, scissors to decide who would go and buy them disguises. Kimimaru lost so he ended up having to put the 'disgusting' as he put it, coat on. A small pouch full of money was shoved into his hand before he made his way out onto the street.

Kimimaru looked around at the shops that surrounded him. A gift shop, a noodle shop, a weapons shop, yet another gift shop, and finally a clothes shop. Kimimaru peeked over his shoulder towards the alleyway where he saw four pairs of eyes staring at him from within the dark depths of shadow. He turned around and gulped nervously before making his way over to the shop.

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**Kimimaru: **Why! Why me! Why couldn't Kanji lose T-T

**Me:** Because Kanji would kill me besides you haven't done much in this story yet

**Kimimaru: ***Couching in the corner* It's not my fault I'm an unpopular character

**Me: **Your not unpopular your one of the main characters *pats him lightly on the back*

**Kimimaru: ***Happily jumps up* Please review


	11. Kidnapped!

**Orange (Orangeblossom Asakura): **Here's chapter 11

**Yuki: **Yay, what's going to happen?

**Orange: **Read and find out

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Chapter 11

Kimimaru entered the shop called Traditional Patch Fashions. It was surprisingly empty judging the busy street outside. There were only three other people in the shop aswell as the cashier.

Kimimaru looked around at the articles of clothing. There was a whole range of different clothes and styles. After fifteen minutes of searching Kimimaru found exactly what he was looking for. 'Perfect' Kimimaru thought.

Yoh, Sakura, Kanji and Yuki crouched in the dark alleyway occasionally sparing a peek out onto the street. "What do you think he will come back with" Sakura asked nervously. "I don't know" Yuki replied. "But I fear the worse" Kanji added in a bored tone. "Come on Kanji, you should have more faith in Kimimaru" Yoh retorted. "But he's an idiot" Kanji replied monotonously. Yoh sweat dropped. There are some arguments you just can't win with Kanji.

"Hey look here he comes" Yuki whispered. They looked up to see Kimimaru approaching with a large sack bulging with clothes and accessories. "Hey guys, I found the best disguises ever" Kimimaru stated as he greeted them with a friendly wave. "Just you wait and see" Kanji thought aloud.

Ten minutes later they had all changed into their disguises after finding an abandoned shop to change in. There uniform and weapons were transported back to the protection castle as they were no longer needed for the recon mission. They could barely recognise each other at first but after some careful studying they could see their smiling teammates.

Yoh was dressed in a pair of grey skin tight jeans held up by a black belt with a black sun buckle. He wore a loose V-neck orange coloured top. The front was decorated with a black mouse head shape with the word love imprinted in the middle in silver. He wore a pair of grey converses on his feet instead of his usual sandals. A grey beanie hat on top of his head hid most of his chestnut brown hair. A pair of black sunglasses hid Yoh's onyx eyes and the oracle bell on Yoh's arm was replaced with a black wristband.

Kanji was dressed in a pair of black sweatpants with white outlines and hemming. He also wore a white vest top with a black outline of a smiley face. He wore black loafers on his feet and his purple hair was covered by a black and white baseball cap. A black watch hung around his wrist on his left hand.

Kimimaru was dressed in a white shirt with a black waistcoat on top. He wore a pair of black denim jeans and a pair of black wingtip shoes. He wore a black Fez on his head because according to Kimimaru 'Fez's are cool'. He also wore some of the traditional patch wristbands which were decorated in the patch symbols. Kimimaru also wore a pair of black shades which covered his dark blue eyes.

Sakura wore a white sundress. The dress ended at her knees and was held up by two thin straps that wrapped across her shoulders. She wore a white and green flower bracelet around her wrist. She wore a white pair of strappy sandals on her feet. Her long pink hair was tied up in a bun on top of her head and was held in place by a white flower clip. Her front bangs were slightly curled and were loose against her face.

Yuki wore a sky blue miniskirt and black leggings. She also wore a pair of sky blue legwarmers on her ankles. A pair of black slip on shoes covered her feet. She also wore a sky blue turtleneck, short sleeved top. Her long chestnut hair was tied in a plat at the back of her head. A blue flower medallion also hung around her neck.

"Well this isn't that bad for you Kimimaru" Kanji smirked. "What's that supposed to mean" Kimimaru demanded. "You two shut up we need to get going" Yuki snapped while hitting them lightly on the head.

Several minutes later they all arrived at the patch library. It was a pretty large building with large white pillars on either side of the door. Once inside they walked over to the computer section where they all sat down and started typing. The library was quite empty with only one or two other people sat around reading books.

Half an hour later they all compared their notes and research. Yoh started. "Well I found their school records; they went to the same school somewhere in England. The school was called Evadale Secondary which is somewhere in London. Apparently they were quite the troublemakers as they both got expelled".

Yuki was next. "I found out that Elizabeth lived somewhere in Cornwall in the south west of England. Her parents are still living there at the age of fifty and fifty one. We should go and talk to them to find out some more information. I have their address written down so we could easily teleport there".

"Gaston lived somewhere in London near that secondary school you mentioned. His mother died in a car accident when Gaston was about seven years old but his father and older sister are still alive. His father still lives in London and his sister moved to Greece" Kanji explained.

Suddenly the doors to the library banged open. The five of them looked around to see Luchist, Kanna, Mari and Macchi walk in. "Oh no there Hao's followers" Yoh whispered. "We need to leave now" Kanji commanded. They silently got up and walked towards the door. They all held their breathes as they passed them. They thought they had safely made it out when a voice called out from behind them. "Excuse me but you seem familiar, who are you? The one wearing the orange top and grey hat". They all froze and slowly turned around to look at Kanna who was making her way over to them. "I've only just arrived in the village, I'm no one important" Yoh replied barely hiding the stammer in his voice. Kanna was now only a few centimetres away from Yoh and was staring into his face. "I'm sorry but I really have to go" Yoh muttered as he slowly edged towards the door.

They had made it out of the door when suddenly Yoh was grabbed by his wrist from behind. He was pulled backwards and was grabbed by three more pairs of hands. "What are you doing?" Kanji demanded barely hiding the anger in his voice. The others stepped forwards but stopped when four oversouls were pointed at them. "We are taking him to see Master Hao, he seems familiar so we'll see what Hao sama thinks" Kanna hissed before she disappeared in a cloud of dust along with Yoh. " Dam it" Kanji shouted. "What should we do?" Sakura asked. "We need to tell Zero, he will know what to do. Then we can rescue Yoh and finish our mission" Yuki replied. They all clapped their hands and slowly faded away.

* * *

**Yuki: **How could you, Yoh T_T

**Orange: **Calm down Yuki, Yoh will be fine

**Yuki: ***Pouts* but why!

**Orange: **because I wanted to

**Yuki: **Please review


	12. Meeting Hao The Pyro Shaman

**Orange: Here's the next part of the story**

**Hao: Well it looks like I'm finally getting somewhere *Smirk***

**Orange: Okay -_-'**

**Hao: Hm**

* * *

Chapter 12

Yoh sighed as he was carried by the blue haired shaman. 'If only Hao wasn't that intent on looking for me, I might not have been captured'. Without knowing why Yoh quietly started to sing.

Just have a little patience,

I'm still hurting from a love I lost,

I'm feeling your frustration,

Any minute all the pain will stop,

Just hold me close inside your arms tonight,

Don't be too hard on my emotions,

Cause I,

Need time,

My heart is numb has no feeling,

So while I'm still healing,

Just try and have a little patience,

I really wanna start over again,

I know you wanna be my salvation,

The one that I can always depend,

I'll try to be strong,

Believe me I'm trying to move on,

It's complicated but understand me,

Cause I,

Need time,

My heart is numb has no feeling,

So while I'm still healing,

Just try and have a little patience,

Cause the scars run so deep,

It's been hard but I have to believe,

Just have a little patience,

Just have a little patience,

Cause I,

Need time,

My heart is numb has no feeling,

So while I'm still healing,

Just try and have a little patience,

Have a little patience,

My heart is numb has no feeling,

So while I'm still healing,

Just try and have a little patience

Yoh looked up as they entered the forest. 'They said they were going to take me to see Hao, oh no. I have to hide my identity, I need to get away'. Yoh struggled desperately against Kanna's strong hold. 'Seriously how is she this strong? Is she on steroids or something?' Yoh thought as he bit down on Kanna's arm.

She screeched out in pain and her grip slightly loosened which allowed Yoh to pull free. Yoh ran back in the direction he came but a few seconds later he was grabbed by two pairs of hands. Mari was holding onto his left arm while Macchi was holding on to his right. They dragged Yoh back to where an annoyed Luchist and furious Kanna stood waiting. "Let's go" Luchist grumbled before heading off through the trees.

A couple of minutes later they emerged from the forest onto a cliff where Hao's followers had set up camp. Tents were dotted around everywhere along with many of Hao's followers. Slightly separated from the rest of the camp there was a fire along with just two people sat around it. The small girl Opacho and of course the pyro shaman himself Hao.

Yoh sighed as he was dragged over by his four captors. Hao looked up from the fire as they approached. "Hao sama, we found a suspiciously familiar person in the village so we brought him here to you" Kanna explained while rubbing her sore arm. Hao slowly stood up and looked at Yoh. "Yes he does seem familiar" Hao stated. He walked up to Yoh until they were almost touching, only a few centimetres apart from each other.

Hao stared at Yoh for a while before he slowly reached out for Yoh's hat and glasses. Instantly Yoh leaned away from Hao. "Let me go" Yoh demanded. Hao smirked. "Now why would I do that if I want to know who you are" Hao hissed into Yoh's ear.

Desperately Yoh kicked out and succeeded in freeing himself from Mari and Macchi's grasp. He turned around and ran as fast as he could back towards the forest. Yoh had barely made it a meter away before he was captured by a strong pair of arms around his waist which pulled him backwards into someone. "Let me go" Yoh shouted as he kicked and waved his arms in random directions trying to free himself.

A small chuckle told Yoh that the pair of arms belonged to Hao. "My my, you really don't want anybody knowing who you are do you" Hao mused as Yoh continued to scream, shout and struggle.

Yoh struggled for another ten minutes before he tiredly slumped in defeat. "Well it's time to see who you really are" Hao cackled before turning Yoh to face him, still keeping a firm hold on Yoh's arm. He reached out again for Yoh's hat but was surprised when Yoh suddenly slapped him.

Hao's followers stared in shock as Hao was slapped by their prisoner. The whole camp was silent as they waited for Hao's reaction. Hao placed his hand on his slightly red cheek. "You slapped me" Hao hissed in anger. "You kidnapped me" Yoh retorted.

Hao's patience was starting to wear thin. "Spirit of Fire" Hao snapped. The spirit of fire appeared and grabbed Yoh in one of its massive hands. Hao stepped forward for the third time and grabbed onto the hat and shades. Yoh gasped as Hao removed his disguise revealing his identity for all to see.

There was silence as everyone just stared at Yoh. Yoh looked up to see Hao staring at him in shock before his lips curled into a smirk. "Hello Yoh". Yoh gulped nervously and looked back at Hao. "Can you let me go now that you know who I am" Yoh asked quietly. Yoh was released by the spirit of fire and instead grabbed by Hao. "No Yoh, I need to talk to you first".

* * *

**Hao: Yes, now I will finally get some answers, and I finally found Yoh**

**Orange: Careful Hao, your sounding like you actually care about your little brother *chuckle***

**Hao: What, I, the mighty Hao Asakura will never care about that lazy idiot *denying face***

**Orange: Sure *sarcastically***

**Hao: Please review *Evil aura***


	13. One Problem After The Next

**Orange: Yay I finished another chapter**

**Yuki: Seriously when do you get time to write these fanfics!**

**Orange: Well it's the holidays so I have more time now**

**Yuki: Okay, well here's chapter 13**

**Orange: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed or favourited my story **

* * *

Chapter 13

Yoh squirmed slightly in the grip that Hao had on his arm. Hao pulled Yoh back over to the campfire where he forced Yoh to sit next to him, a hand still clutched around his arm to prevent another escape attempt. The rest of Hao's followers soon joined them as they were all curious to find out about what had been happening with Yoh.

Yoh sighed as he yet again tried to pull his arm out of Hao's grip. "Now Yoh I have many things that I want to know so you will answer all of my questions" Hao smirked. "And if I refuse to answer?" Hao's grip tightened around Yoh's arm causing him to slightly hiss in pain. "Do you really want to find out?" Hao asked, confident that he could force Yoh to tell him everything.

Yoh just shook his head before looking down at the ground and staring at it as if it had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the whole world. "What exactly is going on with you and those cloaked people?" Hao asked. Yoh was silent for a second before simply replying "They were trying to kidnap me". "Why?" "Because they're evil and that's what evil people do, just like you. Your evil and you kidnapped me".

A vein popped in Hao's head and his followers cowered in fear as Hao shook as he tried to contain his anger. "Yoh" Hao seethed. "What I was just telling the truth" Yoh cried and tried to edge away from the annoyed pyro shaman. "You're avoiding answering the question and you offended me, do you think that is a wise thing to do?" Hao shot at Yoh in a deadly voice sending shivers down Yoh's spine.

"Sorry" Yoh replied quickly hoping to calm his brother. Hao huffed before he leant back against the log he was near. "What is going on" Hao repeated as he stared into Yoh's eyes. Yoh stared back before replying "I don't really know how to explain it all so it probably won't make sense to all of you". "Try me" Hao deadpanned back. Yoh was about to start saying something when he was interrupted by a loud shout.

"YOH"

Instantly everyone snapped their attention onto the new arrivals. Yoh groaned as he saw who it was. 'This is gonna be a long day'. Hao just smirked but inside he was furious. 'Yoh was just about to tell me everything then they had to come and ruin everything'.

Anna, Ren, Horohoro, Chocolove, Ryu, Faust, Manta and Lyserg were all stood at the edge of the clearing. "Yoh" Anna half shouted half screeched again. Yoh cringed as he heard the sound. Anna looked over at the group gathered around the fire and her eyes narrowed as she saw Hao's hand holding Yoh where he was. "What are you doing Hao, let Yoh go" She snapped. "No" Hao smirked as he tightened his grip on Yoh. Yoh tried pulling away again but Hao was too strong.

Instantly Anna glared at Hao. Hao glared back. Yoh's friends oversouled. Hao's followers oversouled. Yoh wished that he could be anywhere but where he was. All of the shamans were about to attack when another voice cried out Yoh's name from the opposite side of the clearing.

Yoh looked around and smiled as he saw Yuki, Sakura, Kanji and Kimimaru along with a few other members of the Mondrian who Yoh had never met before. "You came" Yoh called out happily. "Of course we came, you're our friend and a member of the Mondrian, and we never abandon another member" Kanji stated.

Hao growled in anger as yet another obstacle appeared between him and finding out the truth. "Who are you" Anna screeched furiously. She was annoyed that Yoh hadn't been happy to see them yet was happy when these strangers appeared. "Didn't you hear us just say who we are, your dummer than I first thought. I feel really sorry for Yoh, he actually has to marry her one day" Kimimaru mused as Anna shook in anger. "For all of you who didn't get it the first time we are the Mondrian and we are here to take back our newest member" he called out.

Hao stood up dragging Yoh along with him. "No one is having Yoh until he has told me everything that I want to know" Hao stated anger evident in his voice. "Then I will tell you everything you wish to know if you release Yoh" a voice called out from in the forest. The Mondrian members stepped aside to let Zero pass. "Zero" Yoh shouted in shock. "Hey Yoh, how you doing?" Zero asked as he waved in greeting. Hao just stared before calling out "Who are you?"

Zero smiled kindly as he approached Hao and Yoh. "My name is Zero Matsumoto and I'm the leader of the Mondrian, nice to meet you" Zero chuckled before holding his hand out to Hao to shake. Lyserg's jaw dropped as he watched this. 'Nice to meet him, nice to meet Hao. Who is this guy, he's obviously an enemy' he thought.

Hao stared at the hand in front of him before shaking it. Yoh stared at Zero then at Hao and then back at his friends (Yuki, Sakura etc.) who were staring and grinning at him, obviously trying to gain his attention.

"So Hao you wanted to know about what has been going on" Zero smiled. "Yes" Hao replied, not a hint of anger left in his voice. Zero sat down next to Hao who also sat. "Hey, who do you think you are? Yoh is coming with me not you" a voice called out challengingly. "Anna just let him speak" Yoh grumbled causing everyone to jump. Yoh hadn't said anything as the three groups of people fought over him. "Hao can you release Yoh? You have a strong grip on his arm and you're hurting him" Zero asked. Hao looked down at Yoh and saw that Yoh was flinching slightly in pain.

Hao released Yoh's arm and instantly Yoh clutched his sore, red arm. "Sorry" Hao whispered just loud enough for Yoh and Zero to hear. Yoh looked up at Hao in shock, that was the last thing he had been expecting from someone like Hao. Hao stared at Yoh's shocked face. "What, is it really that strange to hear me say that" Hao snapped. Yoh was about to answer when he heard a loud chuckle. Hao and Yoh turned around to look at Zero who looked like he was about to die of laughter. "What?" Hao and Yoh asked at the same time. They stopped and looked at each other for a second before returning their gaze to Zero.

When Zero finally got his laughter under control he told them why he had been laughing. "You two really do act like normal twins and it's really hard to imagine you two as mortal enemies. You really are alike". Hao raised an eyebrow before sneaking a peak at Yoh. On the other hand Yoh just gave his usual calm smile. "Anyway, moving on you wanted me to explain. I wonder how this conversation got so side-tracked anyway" Zero sighed.

Yoh chuckled quietly to himself while Hao sat silently waiting for Zero to continue. "It's a long story. It began five thousand years ago with a man called Zelman Levroth…"

Zero told the whole story about Zelman's past and his goal of destroying the world and the gods, about the Hoshii gate and how the key was given to the angel, how the angel was killed and the key passed onto Yoh, about Zelman's followers the Mandarin and how the Mondrian has always stopped them.

"Yoh joined our ranks and we have been trying to defeat Zelman once and for all" Zero finished. Hao sat deep in thought while everyone else in the clearing just stood in a creepy silence. "I see" Hao mumbled slowly. Hao and Zero both stood up. "If you need any help then you just need to ask" Hao stated calmly.

"WHAT?" was what everyone shouted after that comment. "Why would you help anyone Hao?" Lyserg shouted angrily. Hao just smirked before replying "My goal is to become shaman king and create a shaman only world, I can't do that if this Zelman person has destroyed the world so both me and the Mondrian will benefit from this". Zero smiled, "Thanks for the help, take this communicator. It will allow you to contact us when we are at our HQ or out on a mission". Zero passed Hao an object that looked like a phone but with a large blue stone in the middle.

"We'll contact you soon but for now we need to go, come on Yoh". Zero turned around and left with Yoh and the rest of the Mondrian members following behind. Shortly after Yoh's friends left, Lyserg shouting threats at Hao as he went. Hao sighed and looked down at the communicator. 'Well things are finally starting to make sense'.

* * *

**Orange: Few now that's outta the way**

**Yuki: Yay we saved Yoh**

**Hao: And I finally know what's going on**

**Orange & Yuki: 'where did he come from'**

**Hao: Hey I can read minds you know**

**Orange: -_-' yeah we know**

**Hao: *Smirk* now I can be in more of the story**

**Yuki: Oh no please no, I don't think I can handle the smirks *Sarcastically***

**Hao: Review!**

**Yuki: Hey that's my line *Pushes Hao out of the way***

**Hao: Ow, you will pay for that *fireball appears***

**Yuki: Please review *While dodging fireballs***


	14. Never Forget Who You Are

**Yoh: Hey another chapter**

**Orange: Yeah I somehow found time between watching Yu-Gi-Oh and planning other fanfics**

**Yoh: DISCLAIMER- We don't own shaman king just the OC's and the storyline**

**Orange: Please read & review**

* * *

Chapter 14

Yoh rubbed his sore arm as he walked back to his room. 'I bet I have a bruise' Yoh thought. He kicked open his door and flopped down onto his bed. "Why, Why did it all go wrong" Yoh moaned to himself. He looked over at his desk where a couple of photos were laid out. Yoh frowned in confusion for a second before reaching out and grabbing them.

The first photo was of him and his friends. Yoh was sat at a table talking to Manta with a smile on his face. Horohoro and Ren were fighting again and Chocolove was telling his jokes to Tamao and Pirika. Ryu was chasing a passing girl, Lyserg was glaring at something in the distance and Faust… Well Faust was doing what he always did, talking with Eliza. Yoh sighed as he stared at the picture. That had been so long ago when he had no problems, before his life got complicated, before he had the dreams. Back when he was carefree and happy.

Yoh pulled his eyes away and looked at the next picture. It was a picture of one of the times Hao had approached them. Hao was smirking along with his followers while all of Yoh's friends were scowling and had oversouls. Yoh stood in the middle a slight frown on his face. That was back when the world made sense too.

The third picture was of Yoh, Amidamaru and Manta eating ice cream back when they were in Funbari and had only just met. Yoh flipped through the rest of the photos but stopped when he reached the last one.

The last photo was of him, Yuki, Kanji, Sakura and Kimimaru. They were all sat on the bench again with the Eiffel tower in the distance. They were all laughing at a joke that Kimimaru had made. Yoh stared at it for what seemed like ages before he dropped the photos back onto his desk. A piece of paper fluttered to the floor when he dropped the photos.

Yoh bent down and picked up the folded piece of paper. Yoh sat down on his bed again and carefully unfolded the note. _Never forget the people important to you, Never forget who you are_. A tear rolled down Yoh's cheek as he clutched the note to his chest. 'I have been pushing away the people I should have held close, they were my friends but I hid from them and ignored them. I really miss them. I have been such an idiot'.

Unknown to Yoh Zero was stood outside his closed door. 'Well it seems like Yoh has found my note and the photos, I hope that he will be happier now that his friends know and he can go and visit them without a problem'. Zero sighed and headed off down the corridor. "Don't let anyone disturb Yoh, he needs some time alone" Zero commanded a passing guard.

Yoh looked up as he heard footsteps slowly fading from outside his door. "Thank you Zero" Yoh whispered as he shoved the pictures and the notes into his desk draw along with his bear claw necklace and orange headphones. Yoh then silently thought to himself for what seemed like hours. 'I swear I will not let Zelman or the Mandarin get away with this, I won't let them hurt my friends. I can't afford to let my guard down anymore, Zelman this is war' Yoh thought. As soon as he finished that thought words suddenly popped into Yoh's head and he started to sing out loud.

'A warning to the people,

The good and the evil,

This is war,

To the soldier the civilian,

The martyr the victim,

This is war,

It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie,

And the moment to live and the moment to die,

The moment to fight the moment to fight,

To fight to fight to fight,

To the right to the left,

We will fight to the death,

To the edge of the earth,

It's a brave new world from the last to the first,

To the right to the left,

We will fight to the death,

To the edge of the earth,

It's a brave new world it's a brave new world,

A warning to the prophet,

The liar the honest,

This is war,

To the leader the pariah,

The victor the messiah,

This is war,

It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie,

And the moment to live and the moment to die,

The moment to fight the moment to fight,

To fight to fight to fight,

To the right to the left,

We will fight to the death,

To the edge of the earth,

It's a brave new world from the last to the first,

To the right to the left,

We will fight to the death,

To the edge of the earth,

It's a brave new world it's a brave new world,

It's a brave new world,

I do believe,

In the light,

Raise your hands into the sky,

The fight is done,

The war is won,

Lift your hands toward the sun,

Toward the sun,

Toward the sun,

Toward the sun,

The war is won,

To the right to the left,

We will fight to the death,

To the edge of the earth,

It's a brave new world from the last to the first,

To the right to the left,

We will fight to the death,

To the edge of the earth,

It's a brave new world it's a brave new world,

It's a brave new world,

A brave new world,

The war is won,

The war is won,

A brave new world,

By the time Yoh had finished the song he felt a lot calmer and his mind was clearer. Yoh got up and slowly stretched his numb limbs. 'I need to visit my friends' Yoh thought before quickly leaving his room.

* * *

**Yoh: Where do you get all these songs from**

**Orange: I happened to be listening to them and they fitted in with the story**

**Yoh: What song did I sing in this chapter?**

**Orange: ^-^ This is war by Thirty Seconds To Mars**

**Yoh: _**

**Orange: If you want to know the names of any of the songs in my story they will be written at the end of the story or if you want to know now PM me**

**Yoh: Please Review!**


	15. Meeting With Old Friends

**Orange: Here is the next chapter**

**Ren: Finally, what took you so long? *GLARE***

**Orange: I was given a lot of homework so I didn't get much time for writing fanfics but I finally managed to write a chapter**

**Ren: Whatever please R&R**

**Orange: DISCLAIMER - I don't own Shaman King!**

* * *

Chapter 15

It was the late afternoon and the sun was steadily sinking down in the sky. The tension was high in the flat block. Anna hadn't said a word since they had returned which wasn't a good sign. Usually it meant that she was furious and was thinking of hundreds of violent acts to play on someone.

Lyserg had run into his room slamming the door shut. He had spent the past hour cursing Hao and Zero, but mostly Hao. He still didn't understand how Zero could calmly talk to Hao like a friend after everything that he had done.

Ren and Horohoro were arguing like normal but not as enthusiastically as normal. Ren had been thinking about what Zero had told them about Yoh and the Hoshii gate. What if it was all a lie to separate Yoh from them? After all Yoh had been missing for a while and he hadn't been to see them even once, actually he had purposely been hiding from them all.

The rest of the gang were just sitting in silence at the table. Nobody spoke a word. Nobody even looked at each other. Suddenly a knock at the door broke through the silence.

"Who could it be?" Horohoro wondered as Ren slowly got up to open the door. The other's just sat at the table staring blankly into space. A loud gasp and shout made them snap out of their daze.

Instantly they had all got up and ran to Ren, the open door and got a glimpse of their visitor. Yoh stood there in his Mondrian uniform a slight smile on his face. "Hey guys, long time no see" he chuckled. The others stood there silently staring at him. Ren was about to say something when suddenly stomps could be heard from upstairs steadily getting louder.

They all turned around in slow motion to look up at the itako that had appeared at the top of the stairs. Anna looked murderous. She stomped downstairs and walked up to Yoh. SLAP! The sound of her hand hitting flesh echoed around the silent house.

"Ow" Yoh moaned as he placed his hand on his red cheek. Anna just stood there and glared at him. "What was that for?" Yoh grumbled before pouting. "Why didn't you just tell us the truth instead of hiding? We were all worried about you. We thought that something terrible had happened to you and we were scared for you, and you were just hiding. How could you do that to us Yoh" she shouted, pain etched into her coal black eyes.

She looked at Yoh again in a mixture of anger, sadness and pain. Yoh was startled by her outburst. He looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry" he mumbled sadly, "I hid because I didn't want you to get hurt. I don't know why but the Mandarin won't hesitate to hurt anyone I care about and I didn't want anything to happen to you guys".

Anna looked at him for a second before quickly rushing back upstairs. Yoh continued to look sadly down at the floor. "I'm sorry" he repeated. Tears started to form in his eyes before one of them broke free and slid down his cheek.

Suddenly a hand was placed on his shoulder and he looked up into Ren's golden eyes. "It's ok Yoh, I forgive you. You just wanted to protect us but still, I wish that you had told us sooner. We could have helped you. We have always been able to help you in the past so we can help you again. It's the least I can do after you helped me defeat my uncle".

"Ren's right. Were your friends and we 'll stick with you no matter what" Horohoro announced. "To the very end" Ryu shouted. "You have our word Yoh, we will help you" Faust added. Manta coughed to gain Yoh's attention before he spoke. "Don't worry about Anna. She'll get over it she was just worried and then angry that you didn't tell her the truth. You know she was really worried about you. She made everyone search the village nonstop for you, it may not seem like it but she cares for you a lot".

Yoh wiped the tears from his face and gave them a watery smile. "Thanks you guy, I don't know what I'd do without friends like you". Chocolove chuckled. "Group hug" he shouted. They all came together in a big hug.

Suddenly a snarl came from the stairs. "What is he doing here?" They looked around to see Lyserg glaring at Yoh. "Lyserg I'm sorry I…" Yoh started before he was interrupted. "I don't care Yoh, you were with Hao and now you're allies with him. I can't believe you Yoh. The X Laws were right, you really have changed".

Yoh watched sadly as Lyserg stalked past him and out of the door. "Yoh, it's not your fault. Lyserg is blinded by his anger towards Hao" Ryu said as he tried to cheer up the now depressed boy. However Yoh just stood there and said nothing. "Hey, buddy you ok?" Horohoro asked but he didn't receive an answer either. They all looked at each other before looking back at Yoh.

Ren slowly approached Yoh. "Snap out of it Yoh, sulking about it won't help. It doesn't matter whether Lyserg forgives you or not you still have us so stop turning into an emo" he shouted. "You're right, I'm sorry" Yoh mumbled. A vein popped in Ren's head. "Will you stop apologizing, you've said it at least five times already. It's getting annoying".

They were all startled by what happened next. Yoh started laughing. He fell to his knees and held his sides. "What's so funny" Ren huffed. "Y...You should have seen your face. It was, it was red and your spike grew. It made you look like a purple shark" Yoh giggled.

After a moments silence the others started laughing too. "I've got to admit Ren you really did look like a shark" Horohoro chuckled. "Oh ha ha very funny" Ren grumbled to himself.

Yoh spent the whole day with the other chatting and horsing around. It was ten o clock at night when Yoh left. "Bye guys I'll see you soon" Yoh shouted over his shoulder. "See you soon, be careful out there Yoh" Faust replied. Yoh simply smiled before he turned the corner and the house was out of sight. Yoh walked for a couple of seconds before he heard a noise from one of the dark alleyways. Instantly Yoh broke into a run and pelted down the street. Every so often he would peek over his shoulder to see if he was being followed.

As Yoh looked over his shoulder he wasn't watching where he was going and collided into something hard. Yoh rubbed his sore arm before looking down to see who he had bumped into. "Opacho!" Yoh shouted in shock. The short African girl got to her feet and brushed some of the dirt from her orange poncho.

"Yoh?" she asked in confusion. "Sorry for bumping into you, by the way what are you doing out here alone at this time of night" Yoh asked. "Opacho was running an errand for Hao sama" Opacho replied, "Opacho is wondering, why is Yoh running?" Yoh sighed before replying "I heard something in one of the alleyways so I wanted to hurry and get back to the Protection Castle before something bad happened".

Opacho looked at Yoh for a second before stating "Opacho must go now, Hao sama is waiting". "Oh sorry for delaying you, I've got to go as well. Take care". Then the two of them went their separate ways. 'I must hurry, the others will be worried that I am out by myself' Yoh thought before clapping his hands together and faded away into the night.

* * *

**Orange: **I can't believe there are 15 chapters already!

**Ren: **You made fun of my hair, you will pay for that *Takes out Tai Kwan Dao (I think that is what his weapon is called)*

**Orange: **Hey don't be mad, I needed to cheer Yoh up with something and making fun of your hair was the perfect way to do it

**Ren: **I can't believe these authors sometimes *mutters darkly to himself*

**Orange: **So are you going to say it?

**Ren: **No

**Opacho: **Please review, it will make Hao sama happy


	16. Just a Few Favours

**Orange: Here's the next chapter! Sorry for the late update.**

**Zero: Look on the bright side, you've finished another chapter aswell as planning a Yugioh fanfic**

**Orange: You're right**

**Zero: I always am**

**Orange: ¬_¬ show off**

**Zero: Please R&R**

**Orange: DISCLAIMER - I don't own Shaman King**

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Chapter 16

_Normal POV_

Yoh yawned and turned over in his sleep. Well at least he was asleep until suddenly something jumped down onto his stomach. The startled boy awoke with a yell and jumped three feet in the air. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked up to see Yuki grinning at him. "Morning Yoh, have a good sleep" She asked innocently. "I slept just fine" Yoh huffed, "Did you want something or did you come in here just to wake me up?"

Yuki chuckled and a gleam sparkled mischievously in her eye. "Actually I'm looking for a partner no prankster in crime. So how about it? Want to help me out Yoh, it'll be fun". She gave Yoh a peace out sign along with a grin. A cheeky grin spread over Yoh's face. "Sure, just give me a second to get changed" Yoh said before yawning and stretching his arms. Yuki skipped outside as Yoh got up and pulled on a pair of black jeans and a black leather tank top. He pulled a comb through his hair, stuffed on his converses and crept of the door to meet Yuki. "Let's go" he whispered. She silently nodded and they quietly sneaked to the room of their general John Smith. Yoh looked to Yuki who pulled a bottle of pink liquid out of her pocket. Yoh chuckled quietly. "You know he's gonna kill us for this". Yuki nodded and they both crept into the dark room.

xXx

Hao trudged through the patch village in a better mood than he had been for the past month. He looked down at his hand where the communicator he was given was clutched. Its blue stone sparkled in the morning light. "Hao sama" a voice called out. The pyro shaman turned around to the Hanagumi who were running towards him.

"Have you found her?" Hao asked instantly. Mari and Macchi looked at their feet while Kanna shook her head. "There is no sign of her and no one has seen her since yesterday". Hao's fist clenched in anger. Once he found out who had done this they were going to pay dearly. He looked down at the communicator again. "Let's see if our new allies are as trustworthy as they seem" he announced before pressing in the blue stone.

Light erupted from the top before solidifying into the shape of Zero. Hao stared slightly startled by the hologram. Zero looked at Hao and smiled cheerfully. "Hello Hao. What can I do for you?" he asked. Hao sighed for a second before replying "I want to ask a favour".

Before he could say anymore Zero cut across him. "Then I will transport you here. We can't talk in the open, we could be overheard by Mandarin spies". Hao nodded before turning to Kanna, Macchi and Mari. "Wait for me back at camp" he commanded before he faded away before their eyes.

xXx

When Hao opened his eyes he found himself standing in the entrance hall. Large stain glass windows cast drops of light all over the stone floor. The large metal door stood bolted shut opposite a large staircase.

"Good you made it" a voice called out as Zero glided down the stairs. He calmly walked over to the shaman and stopped when he was standing in front of him. "So what can I do for you Hao?" Hao was silent for a second before replying. "Opacho has gone missing ever since I sent him on an errand yesterday. My followers can't find anything so I wanted to ask for some assistance".

Zero chuckled. "Of course we will help. Actually I also would like a favour from you too". Hao stared emotionless at Zero. "What is it" he sighed in a bored tone. "I want you to join Yoh's group on their reconnaissance mission. We don't know when they could be attacked so I wanted someone strong to be there to help them out".

Before Hao could answer there was a loud shout. "YUKI! YOH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS". Running could be heard along with other shouts. "Come on Yoh he's gaining on us". "Hahaha I think that look suits you John". "Shut up Yoh, when I get my hands on you, you'll wish you had never messed with me".

Zero face palmed. "What have those two pranksters done now? Seriously I need to keep those two under control". Hao just looked around in confusion. 'What has Yoh done to make that man so angry' the pyro shaman thought. His question was answered shortly after.

Yoh and Yuki ran down the stairs still laughing their heads off. Yoh rushed over and hid behind Hao while Yuki hid behind Zero. Seconds later General John Smith came rushing down the stairs, looking around furiously with his blue eyes. His once blonde hair was now a bright pink. A smile tugged at the bottom of Hao's mouth and Zero struggled to hide his giggles. However Yoh and Yuki burst out laughing again.

"Yoh" John shouted when he spotted the laughing boy. He ran forward and jumped on Yoh. He grabbed Yoh and started tickling him. "Ah No stop it" Yoh cried out between his crazed laughter. "No this is payback for putting pink hair dye in my shampoo. Yoh struggled to get away from his captor who was currently attacking his ticklish sides. Hao just smirked. 'Yoh is ticklish, I never knew that. How interesting'.

Yuki saw that her opponent was distracted and made a run for it. "Oh no you don't" John smirked before he released Yoh and started tickling her instead. Yoh lay defeated on the ground clutching his sides. "And so the prankster lays defeated on the ground but why do I get the feeling that you're not giving up" Zero chuckled. Yoh smirked. "Because I'm not giving up. I believe there is a phrase that goes something like loose the battle to win the war".

Zero smiled and held out a hand to help the boy get up. Five minutes later Yuki and John had joined them. "Now then Yoh you were in the patch village yesterday. Did you see Opacho?" Zero asked.

"Yeah I ran into him when I was on the way back from visiting my friends why?" Hao looked up and answered. "Opacho has been missing since yesterday and has completely disappeared without a trace". Yoh gasped in shock his hand covering his mouth. "Oh no, god dang it no" Yoh shouted and punched the wall in frustration. "I'm so stupid".

The others just stared at Yoh with wide eyes. "Yoh what's wrong?" Yuki asked slightly scared that her usually calm friend was panicking. Yoh slid down against the wall and sat there in silence for a second before whispering back an answer.

"When I was walking home last night I thought I heard something in one of the alleyways. It was dark and really late so I couldn't see who it was but I got a really bad feeling so I ran. I thought I could hear them following so I ran as fast as I could until I bumped into Opacho. I talked to her for a while and completely forgot about the person following me. When we parted ways I continued on while Opacho walked the way I came from. Basically she would have walked straight to however it was. I think that they could have kidnapped her. I'm so stupid for forgetting and not warning her".

Hao gulped as many horrible thoughts passed through his head. "Don't worry Yoh, Opacho will be fine. We can go and look for her" Yuki said trying to cheer the teen up. "But it's my fault. That person was following me. If I had gone a different way then Opacho would be safe" he muttered sadly. His head tilted down and his bangs covered his face.

"Pull yourself together Yoh, It wasn't your fault. Everything will work out so don't be so hard on yourself".

They all looked up in shock (including Yoh) to look at the Pyro shaman that had just spoken. "What?" Hao asked, "Can't I even say something to cheer up my depressed brother without everyone being shocked. Is it really that strange?"

'Well Yeah it is from you. I mean you're Hao Asakura' Yuki thought. "I can read minds you know" Hao snarled glaring at her. Yoh just stared at Hao. 'He was trying to cheer me up. Maybe he isn't such a bad guy as everyone first thought. Thanks Hao'.

Hao smiled slightly as he read Yoh's mind and heard a thank you. Well at least someone was grateful.

* * *

**Yuki: since when was Hao nice?**

**Hao: Hey that's not a very nice thing to say**

**Yuki: Yeah but you're not really the sort of person to cheer someone up**

**Hao: Oh just leave me alone, go burn or something**

**Yuki: That's your job!**

**Hao: Grr *Attacks with spirit of fire***

**Orange: ENOUGH! STOP RIGHT NOW, BOTH OF YOU!**

**Hao & Yuki: *Shiver* She's scary**

**Zero: Please Review ^_^**


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